When a motorcycle enthusiast or a bicycling enthusiast decides to enjoy a cycle ride in an area away from home, it is typical to mount the cycle onto an automobile by way of a rack. Early racks were typically mounted onto the bumpers and body of an automobile, whereas more recently designed racks are typically built to be mounted onto a Class 3 hitch, which is an increasingly common fixture included on new cars and sports/utility vehicles (SUVs).
Although a number of racks are known in the industry, many of these racks suffer from one or more shortcomings. Typically after the cycle is mounted onto an automobile by way of rack, the backside of the automobile, including a rear door in the case of a station wagon or SUV, is inaccessible as it is blocked by the cycle and rack. Accordingly, it would be desirable to have a hitch mounted cycle rack that could be quickly repositioned or reconfigured to permit access to the rear door of a station wagon or SUV.
Another shortcoming of existing cycle racks is particular to the stowing of motorcycles, which may weigh in excess of 800 lbs. Although many available racks offer a mechanism for aiding the user in lifting the motorcycle to a stowing position, many of these mechanisms are somewhat cumbersome and time-consuming to operate. Consequently, a simple and fast operating mechanism for lifting a motorcycle to a stowed position on a cycle rack would be desirable.
In a first separate embodiment, the present invention is a hitch mounted cycle rack that includes a mounting bar, adapted to be fitted into a receptive motor vehicle hitch and a horizontal support member, supported by the mounting bar and being substantially perpendicular to the mounting bar and substantially horizontal when the mounting bar is fitted into a receptive motor vehicle hitch. A substantially vertical hinge is supported on the horizontal support member, at a position displaced laterally from the mounting bar by about 0.8 meters. A cycle support assembly is mounted on the horizontal support member by way of the substantially vertical hinge. Accordingly, when the hitch mounted cycle rack is mounted on the rear of an automobile, the hinge permits the cycle support assembly to be swung away from the rear of the automobile, exposing it and permitting access to it.
In a second separate aspect, the present invention is a hitch mounted cycle rack that includes a mounting bar, adapted to be fitted into a receptive motor vehicle hitch. A substantially horizontal hinge is operatively supported by the mounting bar and a cycle support frame is mounted on the horizontal support member by way of the substantially horizontal hinge. The cycle support frame has a hinge end and a cycle-loading end, opposed to the hinge end. Accordingly, the mounting bar permits the hitch mounted cycle rack to be mounted on the rear of an automobile and the hinge permits the cycle support frame to be swung downwardly into a loading position so that the cycle-loading end is proximal to the earth and a cycle can be rolled upwardly onto the cycle support frame and the cycle support frame may then be swung upwardly so that the cycle-loading end is substantially level to the hinge end for stowing the cycle.
The foregoing and other objectives, features and advantages of the invention will be more readily understood upon consideration of the following detailed description of the invention, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.